Health Statistics / Epidemiology / Geospatial Modeller
Job Purpose:
The job’s primary purpose is for a Research Officer
to join the Population and Health Impact Surveillance Research Unit at KWTRP in
Nairobi. This role is critical in researching the health impacts of climate
change and involves detailed work such as developing a climate vulnerability
index (CVI) through literature review and data analysis. The Research Officer
will gather and process multiple data layers to assess climate vulnerability,
focusing on the linkage between high-resolution climatic indicators and known
exposure pathways in Kenya. Additionally, the position entails exploring
spatial and temporal trends in disease ecology and the impact of climatic
factors on health outcomes.
The successful candidate will work under the guidance
of Prof. E. Okiro and collaborate with the NEWRISK project team to aid Kenya’s
health system in adapting to changing climate conditions. The role is an
opportunity to enhance skills in geospatial analysis and its applications in
health system planning, aiming for a significant contribution to healthcare in
Africa. The position is part of a wider research initiative at KWTRP, renowned
for its scientific contributions and commitment to developing local research
leadership in Africa.
Description:
Reports To: Study Co- PI and Study Supervisor.
Budget And Resource Responsibility: Responsible for allocated hardware and
software
Key Responsibilities:
For the Population and Health Impact Surveillance
Research Unit and under the direction of the supervisors to:
- Conduct a scoping review to characterise features of Climate
health vulnerability in Africa
- Collate, clean and fully characterise data and associated
contextual meta-data from across SSA that would enable multiple attributes
of climate vulnerability (based on the scoping review) to be mapped across
Kenya
- Undertake geospatial analysis of data to understand the
geographic distribution of climate vulnerability, their overlap, and the
size of populations living in vulnerable areas
- Develop written reports on the analyses conducted and their
interpretation
- Develop peer-reviewed manuscript quality reports for
submission for publication
- Contribute to the wider scientific activities of the
Population and Health Impact Surveillance Research Unit, the Health
Services Unit and the Nairobi Programme of KEMRI-Wellcome in Kenya
- Support consultations and collaboration with researchers
within the NEWRISK partnership and stakeholders in local, regional and
national governments and key donors
- And any other duties that may be assigned from time to time.
Qualifications:
The successful applicant will have:
- Recognised Postgraduate qualification (Masters) relevant to
the field of epidemiological research, statistics, or geostatistics –
those with broader global health and/or public health training at Masters
level with a strong quantitative analytic component may also be considered
- Evidence of academic excellence based on performance in
primary degree and/or Masters’ level training
- At least 3 years’ experience in research
- Demonstrated experience in collecting, analysing and
interpreting a range of quantitative data.
- Experience in the analysis and interpretation of complex
and/or large data sets
- Proficiency in one or more statistical packages or
programming languages
- Highly developed oral and written communication skills
- Experience in undertaking research in a cross-cultural context
- A record of publishing and presenting research results
relative to opportunity.
- Demonstrated interest in public health and demonstrated
knowledge and working experience of Kenyan Health system, added advantage.
- Demonstrated ability to act with sound judgement, sensitivity,
and flexibility, and to exercise initiative in adapting preferred
approaches when and where required
- Demonstrated experience in undertaking systematic literature
reviews (preferable)
Competencies:
- Prior experience of geospatial analyses with recognised
software (eg. ArcGIS) is highly desirable.
- Experience in use of STATA and / or ‘R’ for analysis of health
data and/or experience of computer programming languages.
- Have high energy, clear goal orientation and a strong work
ethic.
- Strong organisation/programme management skills with the
ability to prioritise workloads and work within tight deadlines
- Ability to write clearly for a scientific audience and to
present clearly to non-academic audiences
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team
environment and to multi-task
How To Apply
